“We declare that Section 377 of the IPC, insofar as it criminalises consensual sexual acts of adults in private, is violative of Articles 21 [Right to Protection of Life and Personal Liberty], 14 [Right to Equality before Law] and 15 [Prohibition of Discrimination on Grounds of Religion, Race, Caste, Sex or Place of Birth] of the Constitution.”
About time. The State has no business to peek into our bedroom. this is not just about decriminalizing homosexuality – it is about ensuring everyones’ right to privacy.
i predict that every religious nut-case organisation- from the Bajrang Dal to SIMI will join hands to create disturbance.finally something will unite them.
When that happens, I hope that the State & Civil Society beat them down. Constitutional rights are universal and applicable to everyone in the nation. Religious rights are only for those who observe. Religious leaders cannot ask for their dogma to be imposed on the rest of the state.
The way ahead is to ensure that all laws that contradict fundamental rights are repealed one by one. And, when there is a dispute between Constitutional Law and Religious Law -the former triumphs.
I hope that this is the precedent for ensuring greater equality for all sections of society, especially women who are governed by archaic Christian and Muslim codes. Thankfully, Nehru freedHindu women of that tyranny – now it is the time for our sisters to get their due in terms of rights.
Rains have been delayed terribly this year. Intermittent, sparse and playing hide & seek with all of us. It has been terribly depressing – without the rains. The body and the mind have both been feeling extremely tired and as thought there is no hope of renewal.
Yesterday, it finally rained. the proper monsoon downpour. the kind of downpour that gets the roads flooded, and sends you towards a samovar of adrak chai. Suddenly the world looks beautiful, the earth smells lovely, and the heart smiles !
The link that India has to rains, is much like the colder nations of the North have towards Spring. A lot of our mental and physical well being is linked to it raining and raining well. it is hardly surprising that monsoons are such an integral part of Hindi Cinema (and regional cinema).
But, before cinema got into the act there was folk and classical music that celebrated the rain gods. In Hindustani Classical Music – Malhar and its many variants cover the whole range from longing for rain (or the love of your beloved); to celebrating it ! With the first rains, i thought i will list some of my favourite film songs based on the rain ragas. do add yours to this list :
Raga Miyan Ki Malhar - by Salamat & Nazakhat Ali Khan – in Satyajit Ray’s masterpiece Jalsaghar. The film is about the passage of time, and the decline of glory – it tells the story of a zamindar who gives a last hurrah to a dying way of life – by hosing a magnificent music concert in his music room. Miyan ki Malhar is a raga that captures the full power of the monsoons – complete with the thunder & lightening
Bole Re Papi Hara - based on Raga Miyan ki Malhar – a fabulous rendition by Vani Jayaram. I always thought that Vani Jayaram’s voice was too mature and strong for a school girl – which is what Jaya Bhaduri played in the film Guddi.
Woh Chup Rahen – in Raga Ramdasi Malhar – a variant of Malhar, picturized on Minoo Mumtaz. Lata Mangeshkar singing this great composition in Malhar for the film Jahan Ara. Bharat Bhooshan showing as much emotion as a block of wood , as always, but the lucky man had some of the best songs in Hindi cinema picturized on him
apni zulfein - from Taj Mahal, not the old version – but the unwatchable new version. The music, though, is brilliant, though it feels as it belongs to the last century. I was quite sure that the song itself was composed – in Raga Malhar – for a film made in the 1960’s meant to be sung by Rafi sahaab. Here is Hariharan crooning the said number -in a composition by Naushad. I never watched the video – because the thought of an over metrosexualised Zulfi Sayed playing anyone from the past was kind of off putting
Kahan Se Aaye Badra - from the film Chashme Badoor . Composed in Raga Megh – it covers the entire gamut of emotions from anticipaiton of love, to heart break and longing. Beautifully sung by Yesudas and a lovely female voice .
Ghanana Ghanana - from Lagan, once again captures the longing for rain, rain that nurtures, and renews and rejuvenates.
Megh for me, is the Raga that is associated with the longing for rain, while Malhar & all its variants, especially Miyan ki Malhar is associated with full blown monsoons – with all the power and glory of thunder, lightening and buckets of water
while you are at it, check out the Megh Malhar again by Lata – in the film Samrat Prithviraj Chauhan. The glory & the power of this rendition is in contrast, with the mellowness of the Ramdasi Malhar
Also check out Suresh Wadkar from this great song from the film Saaz . Again a very powerful rendition
But, for the full power of Miyan Ki Malhar – you can’t miss Bhimsen Joshi singing the Raga. It is almost like he will get it to rain with the power of his voice
i will leave you with a very young Bhimsen Joshi trying to single handed get the rain gods to listen and grant us their bounty !! enjoy and happy rains
choking on your coffee is not the best way to wake up.
as i was catching up on the morning’s headlines on google news – this one caught my eye.
fYi – there is no word called fule
copy editor - is not someone who copies from the net and pastses pastes on-line
I hope that this didn’t get printed, and is only there in the on-line edition.
And finally, to err is human. But, to put it on-line without checking is asking for trouble
As I break for the weekend, i have done a few things for this site :
a) upgraded to Wordpress 2.8 – upgrading was like smooth jazz . i remember all those times, where it was like commissioning a nuclear power plant, now it is one- click.
Shiva . Mahadeva. Shankara. The greatest of all Gods. The God who is beyond Space and Time. The God other Gods worship and venerate. Those who dont’ understand call him the Destroyer. But, he isn’t. He ends the Universe at the end of time so that life can start again. While he may not be the Creator of the Universe, he is most likely the Divine Father, who along with the Divine Mother, Shakti, creates the God/s who create and nurture the Universe. Atleast, that is what the Shiva Mahapurana tells you.
When I visited Indonesia recently, one of the places i visited was the Prambanan Temple.
i was aware that theRamayan was very popular in Java. But, i did not expect to discover a full fledged Shaivite Temple complex in Indonesia.
But, it shouldn’t have surprised me – the Cholas- great Shiva worshippers and a seafaring empire – had come as far as Sumatra – and it is not suprising that they left their cultural footprints in this beautiful place. The Prambanan temple complex reminds me a lot of the temples at Mahaballipuram – which are from the Pallava Era.
The Javanese word for temple is Candi – and Candi Parambanan – or th Parambanan temple (pronounce bramanan temple) is one of the two major temple complexes you will find in Yogyakarta – the other being Borabadur – which is Buddhist temple complex.
The temple is also called the Ramayan temple, because of the number of scenes from the epic that are carved in stone – on the outer walls.
The Shiva Temple is at the centre and flanked on either side by the Vishnu and the Brahma temples. There are temples to the vahana or divine vehicles as well . the Nandi Temple is the first temple that you see when you enter the complex.
The Nandi Temple – is just ahead of the Shiva temple – as is customary. The structure is imposing – to say the least. The Shiva temple is supposed to have two smaller chambers – one devoted to Ganesha – his son; and the other to the great Rishi Agastya . I say supposed to, becasue the temple was cordoned off.
The temples to the Trinity were damaged during the earthquake of 2006. They are currently being restored, stone by stone. ANd, it is a painstaking effort
I am going back to Yogyakarta (i really love that name ) and to visit Prambanan Temple . The next time, hopefully, it won’t be part of a larger shoot and i will have time to absorb the majesty of that place.
After a few weeks of being immersed in Disaster Risk Reduction – thanks to the documentary, Farmer Suicides and the way out – thanks to our Marathi feature film “Jhing Chik Jhing”, and politics & elections – thanks to the elections; I am back to my normal reading. (disclaimer: my normal and other people’s normal may be two different things ).
Some interesting articles / blogs / analysis ? opinions i read last week :
a) Hindu Divided Family – by Sudheendhra Kulkarni in Tehelka.
For me, Mr.Kulkarni is the acceptable face of the Right in India – more economically and politically right of centre than in a relgiious nationalistic sense; which, readers of this blog know, scares me. He says, in this brilliant piece of introspection,
the BJP could not convince the voters that they should vote in favour of change. Rather, the truth is that the people wanted change but were not convinced that the BJP or the BJP-led NDA assured the kind of change they wanted.
The BJP’s failure to convince the people on this score is rooted in a combination of structural, political, ideological, organizational and campaign-related reasons.
He also takes a long hard look at “Hindutva” and the reasons for defeat – and takes on the Sangh Parivaar. I predict that just as the old style Communists in the Soviet Union or the pro Apartheid regime of South Africa used to exile people, Mr. Kulkarni is in for a long period of political exile. But, i really don’t think that he minds. I hope that he and others can lay the foundation for a right of centre party that provides a genuine alternative to the Congress.
2) A Wish List For New I&B Minister Ambika Soni: The CEO’s Agenda – from Social “Media India” – interests me as a media professional.
The list includes issues as varied as a single tax window, clarifying the Content Code, FDI, etal. To these i will add my two wishes :
a) Terrestrial Broadcasting - Doordarshan sucks. it really , truly does. Doordarshan is supposed to be a Public Service Broadcaster. However, the way it is run, it has become a money making machine which is neither Public, nor Service, the only thing that it is is a broadcaster. Free up the Terrestrial media – allow private sector entities, lay down rules that ensures Public Service Broadcasting; and finally remove the chains from DD that allows it to compete. It cannot spend its time selling slots that can only be monetized if you make a programme at zero cost.
b) Rating Services – the media rating services have to be more representative, both at the top & bottom ends of the audience. It is as important to have a metric that looks at what 25 year old graduates, who have a disposable income of Rs.25 k, watch – as it is to have one that looks at what someone who earns 4k a month watches. the current system is geared to the latter. And while, the numbers are there – you can’t sell too much beyond low value products..In the interest of diversity, audiences, and clients – it would be good if the minister took the lead in guiding the system away from its comfort zone – into something that offers choice.
The thing that is really driving conservatives crazy, I think, is that their identity politics just isn’t working like it used to. Their whole approach has been based on the belief that Americans vote as if they live in Mayberry, and fear and hate anyone who looks a bit different; now that the country just isn’t like that, they’ve gone mad.
replace Americans and Mayberry, with Indians and Ahmedabad, and you could be talking about the BJP.
4) Doc Soup – Fund Raising Woes – how documentary film makers worldwide are impacted by the recession, and what are the steps that they are taking to continue making their films.
It is so interesting to a government give economic incentives to change behavior, rather than impose blanket bans or take to the streets in violent protest.
a) what is it about the male of the species and their fascination for nose snort, ear wax and other assorted stuff … a few days ago i overheard two building boys having an animated conversation about how much goo they sneezed out… JD tells me that it tastes salty …SR pointed me out a kid in a rick who was eating the damn thing .. i sometimes have very suzy like reactions to some very calvin like behavior from the men in my life!
b) are there less people in restaurants because of the smoking ban or because of the recession?
c) when will the market realise that credit card companies have too many ’sub prime’ outstandings ?
d) if people vote for a famous name, is it still dynasty ?
e) are Hindi news channels, regional news channels ?
h) If Communists took themselves less seriously, would they get more work done ? Starting point, sirs, the 1800’s are over, please move to the 1900’s. the next step would be to slowly move you to the current period
i) Is the Pakistani Government Retarded ? someone needs to tell them about letting out a rabid viper into their midst. We will survive him, will they ?
if you know the answers to this, do reply. would love a civil conversation about these and other mysteries in my universe
And Finally, if you are going to write in to tell me that the headline should read inexplicable don’t bother i changed it to unexplained for ease of understanding:)
The mark of a civilized society is that people are entitled to a fair trial. We are Independent. We have a Constitution. If some one is guilty, by all means arrest him/her/them. But follow due process. Don’t lock them up for years and not allow them bail. Justice doesn’t just have to be done, it has to be seen to be done. Not too much to ask for, is it?
I was stuck in a massive traffic jam two nights ago – idiot drivers taking u- turns everywhere. Rick drivers, professional drivers, car owners – everyone in Lokhandwalla Mumbai decided that the roads belonged to their fathers, and behaved likewise. The result was no movement for atleast 15 minutes. A lockjam had taken place and the word that kept popping into my mind was gathbandan - a word popularised by the NDA Government led by Vajpayeeji to mean an alliance – but which came to mean a lockjam in the last UPA government. I know that gathbandan means alliance – but for me, for some peculiar reason, it always meant a lockjam. It possibly also reflects my own attitudes towards alliances
So in a way I am glad that this current Government doesn’t need a gathbandan - it needs support, it needs to carry the Parliament along, but it doesn’t need to go into battle blindfolded, and with its arms and feet tied.
Yesterday the new Government was administered the Oath of Office. some random thoughts :
It must have been a bitter sweet day for the Gandhi parivaar – vindication of a long, hard struggle to reclaim lost ground. They have made the Congress electable by focussing on the Party – and letting a Professional run the Government. I would really like to see the Party revive in other parts like Karnataka, MP, and WB – before they start looking at Government. Let’s be honest – other people can run the Government – only the family can revive the Party ! Victory in the elections plus the surrender of the LTTE – must have made the 21st of May all the more poignant .
What is the DMK upto – kids, nephews, nieces and loyalists. If they don’t want to go into wilderness after the death of Karunanidhi – he is not immortal – then they need to stop making it an extended family business. It was seriously embarassing to see such a demand for the Family !
good to see the non performers go – the thought of Arjun Singh handling HRD ministry was enough to make one want to throw up. Hope that someone with respect for the nation’s Human Resources takes over the portfolio – with one of the younger baba log as MoS (Pilot would be so good for that)
Good to see that tainted Ministers are not in. Atleast, so far ! would like that entire concept of tainted ministers to be history
Would like to see Local Self Government – both the Panchayati Raj and City Governance – at the core of this Government’s policy. Decentralisation is the key to Development. And decentralisation is not to the State Government but to local Government
Sad to see Mr.Advani walk alone into Parliament . I don’t like his politics, never have. If he had not moved so far away from his core sense of Values – he and his cabinet may have taken the Oath instead of MMS and his cabinet.
i would like to see someone younger and more in tune with modern Economics and Financial markets in charge of the Finance Ministry. but, it looks like a Political appointment
I saw a picture of Mamta Banerjee – she had combed her hair and was smiling gosh what a turnaround. If the women politicians smiled more , and tried less to be men, maybe there will be more of them in Parliament. Too much Testerone is an nasty trait in men, in women it is a complete and utter turnoff.
Everyone loves a winner – i hope that the UPA sees this as a mandate for development – not for them, and doens’t get overconfident and trample on everyone around
Finally, the citizens in the North Eastern States, Kashmir, and Naxal infested areas – have turned out in large numbers – braving militants, boycotts and the like – to vote for tomorrow. it would be such a beautiful gesture if the new Home Minsiter scarps the Armed Forces Special Powers Act, releases Dr. Binayak Sen – and brings socio economic development to the Naxal controlled areas. Open dialogue with those who want peace and development. Go after those who want violence. it is sad that in the nation that advocated non-violent protest – people like Dr.Binayak Sen and Irom Sharmilla are targetted !
Mount Merapi is an active volcano in Yogyakarta (Jogja), Indonesia. It blew last a couple of years ago.
the villagers are very proud of the fact that no one died in the eruption, nor was there major disruption to livelihood or major damage to property.
the reason being that they adopted good practices from Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR).
Prevention is always better than cure – and the confidence that it gives local communities that they can battle the elements and win is huge.
In the village at the foothills of the Volcano, a grandmother and her grandson watch us shoot
The water supply for the village is from natural springs that arise near the volcano. Plastic pipes deliver it to the village, and plastic pots (and women) deliver it to the house
the mountains on the other side – the day we visited, it was over cast and cloudy. Terrace planting or ‘Terasering’ – is a speed breaker for oncoming Lava. at the same time it prevents soil erosion !
more on Jogja in a few days. for now the footage is getting edited !
, as always, but the lucky man had some of the best songs in Hindi cinema picturized on him
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